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Ramon Polilla
NS Nation Name: The Land of the Moths Character Name: Ramon Polilla Character Gender: Male Character Age: 52 Character Height: 5'8" Character Weight: 128 Character Position/Role/Job: Mayor of LA Character State of Origin: California Character State of Residence: California Character Party Affiliation: Democrat Main Strengths: Charismatic, empathetic, tech savvy Main Weaknesses: Shortsighted, unwilling to compromise, arrogant/prideful Biography: Ramon Polilla was born out of wedlock on July 16, 1968 to congresswoman Rachel Aronowitz and Jose Polilla, the Uruguayan ambassador to the United States. His birth caused a great controversy which eventually resulted in his mother resigning her position and returning with her child to their home in Los Angeles, California. He was raised there until he was 12, when he was sent to live with his father in Uruguay, who had resigned from his position as ambassador in favor of coordinating efforts to help the poor across South America. He tagged along on many occasions with his father, granting him experiences that led him to understand at a very young age just what suffering was. Ramon would later go on to to attend the Universidad de la República, graduating in 1990 with an undergraduate degree in political science. Initially intending to remain in Uruguay and assist his father in his altruistic work, Ramon was convinced by both his parents to attend more schooling in the United States. Thus, he moved back to California. His plans changed, however, when he began to take an interest in his home of LA. The racial divide in the city awakened an anger in the man that he hadn't felt before. What bothered Ramon the most - apart from the obvious abuse of power in the city's police and city council - was the growing divide between Latino and African American communities. Abandoning his parent's plans for him, he dived head first into the world of activism. With his mother's financial backing he was able to advocate for the unity of minority groups in Los Angeles, but few listened to his message. Instead, things only got worse. As years progressed, tensions continued to rise. On Wednesday, April 29, everything changed. The LA race riots were a fairly polarizing issue for everyone, but that was especially the case for Ramon. Having spent the last two years attempting with to unite black and Latino communities, he thought for sure at the beginning of the riots that it was an opportunity for that unity. Unfortunately, that was far from the case. On the first night of the riots, a Guatemalan immigrant named Fidel Lopez was dragged from his pickup truck, beaten, and spray-painted black by a crowd of rioters. That night, Ramon abandoned his ideas in favor of focusing solely on the Latino community. He began working with UnidosUS in late 1992. Operating out of the LA regional office he met with politicians, assisted poor Hispanic communities, and engaged with members of various Hispanic gangs in the area. As he gained fame in LA he became an increasingly outspoken critic of Mayor Bradley, citing the complete abandonment of Koreatown as proof that "Not only does he neglect the needs of his own people, but he obviously couldn't care less about the other minority groups that he represents". Once Bradley left office in 1993 there was great concern in the Hispanic community as to who'd be elected next. Despite being a registered Democrat himself, Ramon pushed people to vote for Republican Richard Riordan in order to have a much needed term limit implemented. During Riordan's run from '94-'01, Ramon drastically expanded his influence. By the end of the mayor's final term Ramon was fairly well known across Latin American communities all throughout the United States. His dedication to Latino communities across the country resulted in his rise through the ranks at UnidosUS and him eventually being chosen for the office of President and CEO of the organization. The organization allowed him to do a lot of good for the Hispanic community in LA specifically, where UnidosUS assisted many Hispanic families get their children through education by providing tutors and scholarships to students. The organization also saw an increased effort in helping undocumented migrants live a sustainable life, as well as a concerted political effort to decrease immigration regulation. When his name began to be floated around for the LA mayoral election of 2013, he decided that it was his time to follow in his family's footsteps and enter politics. Resigning from his position as president and CEO of UnidosUS, he announced his run for the office. He unsurprisingly received a great deal of support from long time residents of the city and won the election 56%-44%. His first term in office, however, was far from easy. Under his first term administration he brought unemployment down five points via the creation of green jobs and general decline nationwide, passed an initiative to clean LA's major waterways, and raised the minimum wage incrementally over the years from the state minimum of $9 to a total of $13.25 by 2017. He had done enough for the city that he won re-election, but homelessness was on the rise and the African American community was throwing accusations of neglect at Polilla's administration. As 2019 starts, many LA residents are questioning Polilla's ability to solve the housing crisis. More worryingly, however, are accusations of racism from the press regarding comments the Mayor may or may not have made about an African American member of the city council. All in all, things aren't looking as good as they once did for Ramon Polilla, but he's charging ahead regardless. Other Info: I have read and accept the rules of the roleplay: The Land of the Moths